Kenneth T. Cole
It is an honor to be nominated for the position of SCASFAA
President for the 2014-2015 year. In the
many years I have served SCASFAA I have endeavored to learn all aspects of the
association and become a productive member of the team. I believe strongly in our mission statement,
and know that through hard work and determination our community of
professionals will successfully promote the advancement of financial aid for generations
of new college students in South Carolina.
I am committed to the future of
SCASFAA and in collaboration with our members and sponsors I know we can expand
upon our professional development to provide excellent peer support and
cutting-edge training for new and experienced financial aid professionals. I believe I have enough experience to perform
the duties of the President successfully and will use the year as President-Elect
to further enhance my knowledge and skills.
I have been a member of SCASFAA for eleven years, served SCASFAA
actively for nearly eight years, and have been a member of the board for the
past four years.
In my
year as Treasurer (2009-2010) I became familiar with the financial workings of
the association. I promoted a philosophy that we must be good
stewards of the investment our past and present members have made in the
association. This included both
carefully saving and fruitful spending. With
the loss of most sponsorship funding due to the ending of FFELP and a
significant reduction of interest revenue due to the recession we had anticipated
suffering a loss of nearly twenty thousand dollars. Instead our organization came in three
thousand dollars under budget and our total loss was only around ten thousand
dollars. At that time we had a
significant investment of funds, and due to careful financial planning we have
lost only 5% of those savings in as many years.
This is certainly a result of many individuals working as a team to
accomplish a common goal. I have always
enjoyed being a productive member of that team.
If I am called upon to lead in 2014-2015 I intend to continue this
philosophy; allocating membership dues to the exceptional and affordable
professional development that has come to be expected of SCASFAA while ensuring
the future of the association through investment and savings.
In my
year as Vice President (2010-2011) I took on the responsibility of coordinating
the professional development of the association. I had the distinct advantage of having some
of the best professionals to work with, and each member of my committee that
year was called upon to perform indispensable duties for our members. I particularly wish to thank Sarah Dowd, Tamy
Garofano, Katie Harrison, Elizabeth Milam, Kevin Perry, Jeni Rone, Donna Quick,
and Aria Simmons; as well as all other members of my committee that year. Because of their hard work, commitment and
professionalism we were able to provide a dual New Aid Officer’s and
Intermediate Aid Officer’s Workshop in which we saw over 43 attendees (compare
to 11 in 09-10 and 0 in 08-09) at a final cost to SCASFAA of only $460. We successfully continued the Fall Update via
Technet, started by Aria Simmons, in lieu of the Fall Conference that was cut
for financial reasons. 88 Individuals
pre-registered for this event, with many more in actual attendance. Our Leadership Symposium suffered some
setbacks but, under the coordination of Katie Harrison, was a success. 41
attendees completed the DISC Leadership Profile with training by Dr. Ron White. The event came in under budget by $71. We also pursued some webinars during this
period (with thanks to NSLP). This is a
trend I hope to continue. If I am
elected as President in 2014-2015, it is my goal to make exceptional strides
towards professional development, pursuing the best possible training for our
members by the most price effective means.
In
2011-2012 I served as Chair of the Legislative Relations Committee. With the guidance of experienced professionals
such as Kim Jenerette, Allison Sullivan, Jeff Dennis and Dr. Ed Miller, I was
able to provide continuous updates and early notifications to our members of
important legislative actions. During
this time our nation faced a great budget crisis due to excessive deficit and
the Federal Debt-Ceiling. Discussions
were in play of eliminating Direct Loan Subsidies, reducing Pell by nearly 46%
and many other possible cuts. On behalf
of the association I joined EASFAA and SASFAA (representing 24 states and over
1200 financial aid administrators) for a Legislative Briefing on Capitol Hill
in October of 2011. We expressed our thoughts and concerns regarding the impact
of reduced financial aid on the overall economy then and in the future. During this meeting I was able to speak with
the Legislative Aids in Education for both Senator Mick Mulvaney and
Representative Joe Wilson. I also sent
communications to Representative James Clyburn who was on the Budget Super
Committee, and encouraged our members to write their legislators and push for a
compromise that spared higher education funding. In the end a budget agreement was reached
while allocations to federal funds were not significantly cut. In 2013-2014 we face a similar crisis, with
the resultant Sequestration. If not
stopped, this process could result in dramatic changes to Federal Student Aid
funding in 2014-2015. As President-Elect
in 2013-2014 I would, if permissible, work with the Legislative Relations Chair
to help open a dialogue with our current representatives and senators. We must encourage a budget compromise that
would result in the best investment of federal funds into higher education for
the prosperity of our nation’s future.
In the years that follow we must maintain this relationship to become a
trusted source of knowledge regarding Federal Student Aid.
In
2012-2013 I served as Chair of the Peer Support Committee. SCASFAA is a “community of professionals…”
who “…in a collaborative effort…provides personal professional development…by
involving all members…in an environment of cooperation and support.”[i]
I believe deeply in this Mission
Statement and my efforts this year have been to revitalize the Peer Support
Network to be a key component in upholding this philosophy. I have renewed the list of knowledgeable
volunteers, updated the list of topics, and provided a stream-lined means for
members to request assistance at the click of a button. In the future SCASFAA must emphasize this
aspect of its services, encouraging members to make use of this tool. No member of SCASFAA is alone. We are all a resource for each other, and
Peer Support is a means for our members to quickly and easily find professional
and experienced advice on how to resolve the important and complex issues that
we face daily. Peer Support is not
only for new members, but a tool to be used by even the most veteran aid
administrator.
As an
active member of SCASFAA since 2005 I have served on various other committees
and in other functions, as detailed below.
I have personally been the beneficiary of SCASFAA’s professional
development and have repeatedly sent my own staff to the training
provided.
I
believe strongly in the mission of SCASFAA and in the future of the
association. I know the setbacks we have
encountered, the areas in which we have erred, and the difficulties we face in
the future. I also know the
professionalism and commitment of SCASFAA’s board, the incredible experience
and talent of its members, and the importance of an association to new financial
aid professionals. SCASFAA must overcome
our financial difficulties, reconnect to our members, and pursue an agenda that
places an emphasis on excellent professional development, proactive legislative
awareness, financial accountability, and membership involvement by fostering an
environment of cooperation and support.
These are aspects of the plan set forth by our current and future
Presidents, and I hope to continue and expand upon these goals as President in
2014-2015.
Below
you will find a summary of my qualifications, experiences, goals and vision for
SCASFAA. I am very thankful to the
Nominations and Elections Committee for giving me this opportunity and I am
very thankful to you, the Membership of SCASFAA, for your consideration. I know that SCASFAA has currently and will
continue to have strong leadership, and I hope to be a part of that in whatever
way I am called to serve.
Education:
B.A. in Theatre, College of Charleston 2000
SASFAA New Aid and Intermediate Officer’s Training 2001
Master’s level course work in Public Administration at UNCW
Non-degree coursework in Political Science at USCL
Currently applying to the M.P.A. program at USC
Professional
Career:
Director of Financial Aid, USC Lancaster; 2005-2013
Assistant Director of Financial Aid, UNC Wilmington;
2002-2005
Senior Financial Aid Counselor and Technical Specialist,
Coker College; 2000-2002
Statistical Data Analyst, College of Charleston; 1998-2000
Direct Loan Specialist, College of Charleston; 1996-1998
Association
Experience:
Peer Support Committee Chair, 2012-2013
Auditor 2011-2012 Fiscal Year
Legislative Relations Committee Chair, 2011-2012
Auditor 2010-2011 Fiscal Year
Vice-President, 2010-2011
Treasurer, 2009-2010
Treasurer-Elect, 2008-2009
Committee
Involvement
Peer Support Network Chair 2012-2013
Consumer Relations Committee Member 2012-2013
Legislative Relations Committee Member 2012-2013
Legislative Relations Committee Chair 2011-2012
Counselor Relations Committee Member 2011-2012
Consumer Relations Committee Member 2011-2012
Budget Committee Member 2011-2012
Professional Development Committee Member 2011-2012
Professional Development Committee Chair 2010-2011 (as Vice
President)
Consumer Relations Committee Member 2010-2011
Budget Committee Member 2010-2011
Professional Development Committee Member 2009-2010
Budget Committee Chair 2009-2010 (as Treasurer)
Consumer Relations Committee Member 2009-2010
Conference Committee Member 2009-2010 (as Treasurer)
Budget Committee Member 2008-2009 (as Treasurer-Elect)
Counselor Relations Committee Member 2008-2009
Consumer Relations Committee Member 2008-2009
Professional Development Committee Member 2007-2008
Counselor Relations Committee Member 2007-2008
SCASFAA/NCASFAA Joint Conference Committee Member/Presenter
2006-2007
Vision
My vision for SCASFAA is to be an association known for our
public service and commitment to excellent professional development. I believe it is time to reevaluate how we
attain the goals set forth in our Mission
Statement. Because of changes in our
funding sources we have become more self-reliant and as such we much strive to
meet the expectations of our members through the resources we have available to
us. We must make greater use of more
cost-effective technology to provide professional development, hold meetings,
and reach the public. Reducing costs
does not mean that we have to reduce services.
There are other means by which we can meet the needs of members,
students, and high school counselors.
SCASFAA can provide excellent and reliable information to our colleagues
and our students through electronic communications. We can reach out to other associations and
organizations to provide coordinated events and training through shared
resources. We can provide more regular,
timely and meaningful updates on legislative and regulatory changes. The means to accomplish these goals is
through membership participation. We
must, therefore, pursue a higher level of involvement. To do so we must be prepared to offer our
members a greater level of professional development, more flexibility in
participation, and a greater voice in what SCASFAA should become. This is my vision for SCASFAA.
Agenda
The following details the basic structure of the agenda I would
pursue if I am elected as President in 2014-2015. While I cannot guarantee that all of these
plans would come to fruition, I can say that these are the specific areas I
believe need to be addressed and this is how I would address them.
Community Involvement:
To begin a Financial Aid Awareness Campaign for all high school
students beginning in November;
To begin an “IRS Data Retrieval Reminder” campaign in April;
To promote “College Affordability” as an important aspect in
the future of student financial aid;
To continue involvement in and expansion of the College Goal
South Carolina event;
To actively pursue continued participation in National
Training for Counselors and Mentors.
Participation:
To emphasize the importance and responsibilities of each
position within the association;
To promote the continued involvement of responsible
committee members, while encouraging the addition of new actively interested
members;
To encourage committee chairs to establish a set of goals,
budget towards those goals, and report regular results of their efforts;
To provide a more in-depth transition for committee chairs,
as well as a simple reporting method to assure proper transition.
Membership:
To expand membership through new and improved services;
To promote school supported membership through direct
communication with college Presidents, Chancellors and Deans;
To provide each new member a SCASFAA welcome packet with
valuable references and resources at minimal cost to the association.
Budgeting:
To improve the budgeting process through historical statistical
data;
To commit to improved financial performance through detailed
analysis of prior year audits;
To schedule quarterly Budget Committee meetings;
To develop a five year financial plan;
To develop a long-term financial plan for a successful and sustainable
future;
Professional
Development:
To provide a Fall Update as necessary through web
conferencing or in coordination with the technical colleges if available;
To research a quarterly webinar series that would be either
free or have a minimal cost to members;
To reevaluate our current Leadership Training model and
consider developing a similar 3-year model for New Aid Officer’s Training;
To survey membership prior to developing professional
development sessions and assure we are meeting the needs of our association.
Legislative
Relations:
To keep our members aware of the latest legislation and how
that may impact their offices;
To promote members to communicate in writing with their
representatives about legislation;
To develop a working relationship with the staff of senators
and congressmen;
To continue our collaboration with the SC Commission on Higher
Education, South Carolina Tuition Grants Commission and SC Student Loan
Corporation in their efforts to provide our students the best possible
financial aid for college.
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